Scalded Akhilesh drops cars-from-MLA-fund idea

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today withdrew his decision to allow MLAs and MLCs to spend up to Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund to buy vehicles for personal use,a day after making the announcement.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today withdrew his decision to allow MLAs and MLCs to spend up to Rs 20 lakh from their local area development fund to buy vehicles for personal use,a day after making the announcement.

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A decision was taken yesterday. This was my decision… I take back the decision, Yadav told reporters,adding that adverse reports in the media and criticism by MLAs had prompted the rollback. Many legislators are not in favour of using the fund for buying vehicles, he said.

The CM said he believed the government should accept good suggestions in a democracy. However,he defended his decision,saying he wanted to help legislators who could not afford to buy a vehicle to stay in touch with their area,and that it wasnt compulsory for them to do so.

The BJP,BSP,Congress and RLD had all opposed the move,adding their MLAs would not use money for buying cars.

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Even Samajwadi Party MLA from Lucknow Central Ravidas Malhotra said the MLAs local area development fund was public money which he would never use for buying a car,although he needed one.

Opposition parties have welcomed the climbdown.  appreciate the governments move to withdraw the decision. It was nothing but an attempt to gain cheap popularity among the legislators. The government should avoid such decisions in future,said Hukum Singh,leader of the BJP Legislature Party who was the first to protest in the assembly yesterday.

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Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Swami Prasad Maurya said it was good that the government had rectified its mistake; it should not take such decisions without consulting all political parties.

Just last month,the SP government had been forced to do a U-turn within 24 hours on another order,seeking that shops and restaurants shut down early in view of the power shortage.